The Price of Butcher's Meat by Reginald Hill Page A

party—rather than asked to cough up a small fortune for b & b! Not many people around. Still bedding in. Official opening is not for a fortnight—BankHoliday weekend—when Tom launches the Festival of Health—which I shant be around to enjoy—thank heaven!
    This info again supplied by Min!
    She sailed in thru the front door like a grand duchess—& the receptionist greeted her with a big Hi Minnie! & gave me a smile too.
    Everyone else we met en route to pool seemed to know Minnie. Swish pool—long way from Olympic—but big enough if you like that sort of thing. I did 10 or so lengths—very boring—specially as I had to stop from time to time to admire Minnies breaststroke—or backstroke—or diving. At 9 you need a lot of admiration! After—we sat in some very comfortable chairs in the café area—& had a Coke—talked. Or rather—I listened! Didnt mind. I was getting interested in what made Sandytown tick—you know me—never happy till Ive got the inside of things outside!—& nothing that goes on round here seems to escape Mins sharp little eyes & ears! By the time shed done—I was thinking of her as my personal Min of Information!
    The original house—as I knew—belonged to the well-heeled Breretons—the famous Lady Denhams family—but became superfluous to requirements when she married even better-heeled Hog Hollis—local lad made good—who built up his pig farm into Hollis’s Ham—the Taste of Yorkshire—& ended up master of just about everything he surveyed—Lord of the Sandytown Hundred—at Sandytown Hall.
    He died—fattening the pigs who helped fatten him (I had to practically kick Minnie onward from all the gory details—mostly imagined I guess—of the poor sods death!)—leaving his wife even richer than hed found her—& eventually she remarried—Sir Henry Denham—& Denham Park became her official address—though—probably not caring for the pig pong but reluctant to do anything that might interfere with her pig profits—she spent a great deal of her time at the hall.
    When Sir Harry in his turn died (dont know what she does to the poor sods!)—she returned permanently to Sandytown Hall—refusing the chance to move back to her childhood home—Brereton Manor—when her ancient father finally died—because—according to Minnie—the hall was a more prestigious address—& the manor had certain inconveniences of access—&had fallen into such a dilapidated condition it would cost a fortune to put right.
    â€”daddy owns nearly all the land all around—explained Minnie—where the new entrance drive is—& where theyre building the golf course. I think it was Uncle Sids idea that they should work together & turn the manor into a posh hotel. Uncle Sid knows all about money—which is why Lady D listens to him—mum says—
    â€”thats nice—I said—so your uncle is a sort of financial adviser to the consortium—right?—
    â€”I think so—she said uncertainly. Then she grinned & went on—Uncle Sid says Lady Denhams tight as a ducks arse—& thats watertight—watching me closely to see how I reacted.
    I just laughed—you cant be Stompy Heywoods daughter without hearing far worse expressions than that!—which emboldened her to say—me & Uncle Sid call her Lady B—not Lady D.
    â€”B for Brereton?—I guessed.
    â€”no—B for Big Bum—she screeched.
    I was beginning to feel intrigued by this Sidney Parker—who chose to talk to his niece like she was an intelligent human being rather than a backward dwarf—which is how awful Uncle Ernie always spoke to me. Min was vague about his actual job—& even from Mary— hes in banking —was the best I could get—which reminded me of dads response when Mrs Duxberry boasted her moronic son was